OTD Michael Slater was born in 1970

Former Australian opener Michael Slater was once regarded as one of the bravest batters of his generation. Long before players like Matthew Hayden and Virender Sehwag revolutionised the role of an attacking Test opener, Slater had already grabbed headlines with his brand of cricket at the top of the order. A product of New South Wales, he played a crucial role in Australia’s run through the 1990s.

Born in 1970, Slater came up the ranks after his heroic performances in domestic cricket. A stint at the Australian Cricket Academy strengthened his skills before he made his first-class debut for New South Wales in the 1991-92 season. His breakthrough came during the 1993 Ashes tour of England, where he was picked ahead of Hayden to partner Mark Taylor at the top. Slater scored a 58 on debut and followed it up with a 152 at Lord’s, earning the Player of the Match award. From there, he became a regular member of Australia’s Test team.

Across 74 Tests between 1993 and 2001, Slater smashed 5,312 runs at an average of 42.83, including 14 centuries. His maiden double hundred, which came against Sri Lanka in Perth in 1995-96, remains one of his most celebrated knocks. He was instrumental during Australia’s golden run, even playing in each of the 16 consecutive Test victories between late 1999 and early 2001, then a world record streak. Though he reached the nineties on nine occasions without converting them into centuries, he was widely admired for his attacking approach.

Notably, his aggressive mindset did not translate into sustained success in ODIs. Despite scoring 73 on his ODI debut, Slater managed only 987 runs in 42 matches and was dropped from the limited-overs side in 1997. His Test career too hit a rough patch by 2001 amid a dip in form, and he was eventually left out after the Ashes that year. With Hayden and Justin Langer making a solid opening pair, Slater eventually retired in 2004.

Post-retirement, Slater successfully transitioned into broadcasting. In recognition of his achievements, he was inducted into the Cricket NSW Hall of Fame in 2015 and granted life membership in 2016.

However, after multiple domestic violence convictions, Slater was sentenced in 2025 to a four-year prison term in Queensland. In response, Cricket NSW convened a general meeting where members voted to strip him of his Hall of Fame status and revoke his life membership. The decision removed him from an honours list that includes figures such as Mark Taylor, Belinda Clark, and Glenn McGrath.

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